What I Got For Christmas

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and that you are loads of good food, had quality time with family and got spoilt rotten. Today I thought I'd share with you what I was beyond lucky to recieve for Christmas. This is no way me bragging or showing off, I just love hearing what other people got for Christmas and thought that there may be some of you out there that would like to know what I got.

Civil War 2017 Calender
I'm a massive Marvel fan so when I saw this calender it automatically went of my Christmas list. I wasn't sure if I was getting it as my list was only rough ideas/suggestions but I was really happy when I opened this. There's something about changing a calender over every month that feels so organised and personally put together. This is definitely going to hang in my nerd corner with pride.

Pop! Marvel Collage Puzzle
Whilst we're talking Marvel and the somewhat non beauty related things I got this puzzle. I have quite a few of the POP! Marvel Figurines (again nerd corner) and when I saw this it just had to go on my list. This is going to be something for me to do when I'm at home trying to save some money instead of spending it on make up and skincare. I also really like the fact that it has quite a few female characters in it, something that is rare with Marvel merchandise.

Underworld Quadrilogy
I'm a sucker for big boxsets that I can binge watch in one go. And one I've been dying to get my hands on for a while is the Underworld Quadrilogy. This has the first four films in it and is the perfect binge watch in time for the new Underworld film coming out next month. Plus Kate Beckinsale looks like a total babe in all of them.

Little Mix Glory Days
I went old school when I added this to my list. Yes it's a physical CD, yes I know that I could have downloaded it but my mum needed another present idea and I thought this was a good one. Glory Day's is probably one of the best albums of 2016 for me and I can't say I've enjoyed an album this much since Carrie Underwood's Storyteller album. Power, Down and Dirty and Touch are just some of the brilliant girl power songs on here and are catchy enough that soon enough you'll be singing at the top of your lungs.

Yankee Candle Midsummer's Night Reed Diffuser
This came from my nan. I'm not the best with candles so she got me the next best thing. I love me a room diffuser, they always leave my room smelling divine no matter what time of the day. At the moment I have a Cinnamon one spreading Christmas Cheer throughout my bedroom but once it's gone I'm definitey going to be using this.

Christina Aguilera EDP 
This is such a throwback for me but it's still so good. I couldn't decide on a perfume I wanted this year until I stumbled across this in Debenhams. There's just something about this scent, no matter how corny, how old school it is that just pleases me greatly. This is the original fragrance and is perfect for wearing any time of the day.

Christina Aguilera By Night EDP
Aswell as the original scent I also recieved the deeper muskier By Night scent. This is perfect for evenings/nights out. These scents last ages on the skin and a little goes a long way. Definitely old school but brilliant all the same.

Stila Naturally Nude Liquid Lipstick Trio 
Last year I recieved the bold liquid lipstick trio from Stila and loved it so when I saw their nude trio this year I just had to add it to my list. It comes with their best selling shade Patina along with two nude limited edition shades. I haven't tried these yet but if they're anything like the last trio I know I'm going to love them.

Sleek Say The Magic Word Liquid Lipstick Set
Another liquid lipstick set I asked for and was lucky to recieve came from Sleek. I haven't tried any of their liquid lipsticks before so this set is perfect for giving them a go. There are four shades in here and whilst I haven't tried them I don't think there is a shade I'm not going to like.

Liz Earle Winter Glow Gift
I've really gotten into my Liz Earle skincare this year so when I saw these sets in Boots they just had to go on the list. This one is the Winter Glow set and has a trial size of their Radiance Boosting Mask inside. I like that this are small enough to be able to test but not that small they're not worth the money. If they're anything like the other Liz Earle skincare I've tried I'm sure I'm going to love them.

Liz Earle Winter Nourishment Set
Along with the Winter Glow Gift I recieved the Winter Nourishment Gift. This is the same premise as the one above except this has a hydrating/nourishing mask inside. My lovely nan brought these for me even though she got confused at what she was looking for.

Pixi Best Of Bright Set
This came from my best friend Lee-Ann. She knows how much I like skincare so surprised me with this Pixi set. It's funny I'd only looked at it myself a couple weeks before but hadn't brought it. Inside you get a tube of Glow Mud Cleanser, a bottle of Glow Tonic and a tube of the Glow Mud Mask. I already love Glow Tonic but think this is a fantastic way to try out a couple more skincare products I've had my eye on.

Rosie For Autograph EDP Coffret Set
Also from Lee-Ann I recieved this Rosie For Autograph set. She knows how much I love Rosie H-W and her range with M&S so thought she'd treat me to this. Inside I got a 30ml bottle of the original edp, a candle and a 100ml body lotion both in the same original rose scent. I'm saving this until I've used up my exsisting bottle of EDP and then I'll crack this open.

And the last present I recieved was from my best friend, my sister from another mister Jasmin. And boy did she spoil me. I've been dying for a bottle of Gucci Bamboo since it came out but because it was too pricey I didn't buy one myself and didn't like asking for one. This year I did ask though and was told no because it was too expensive until I opened Jasmin's present and was shocked to find a Gucci Bamboo Gift Set. Inside there is a 30ml bottle of EDP and a body lotion. I was so shocked at Jasmin's generousity that I could have cried when I opened it. I'm so grateful and thankful for this present and for having a best friend like Jasmin.

Christmas Gift Guide: Under £10

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town! Well not yet but soon enough Christmas will be upon us before we know it. And of course with brands bringing out tons of new products every year it can get pretty mind boggling when shopping for presents. So like I did last year I've put together some Christmas Gift Guides that'll help you pick that perfect gift or find that something you've been meaning to ask for. Today I'm starting with everything under £10 which make both perfect stocking fillers or Secret Santa presents.

Soap And Glory Simply The Zest £10
Soap and Glory always have some of the best gift sets on the market and they never break the bank. This Simply the Zest one is a perfect example of that. In this adorable retro vibed tin you recieve four travel sized products and a bath puff all in the gorgeous Sugar Crush Scent. Containing a 75ml Body Wash, 50ml Body Scrub, 50ml Body Butter and 50ml Hand Food this set makes the perfect gift for ladies who travel a lot.

No7 Glamourous Nude Eyes Palette £10
This stunning No7 Palette is brilliant for all the beauty junkies out there. It contains eight shades, in a mixture of matte and shimmer finishes and comes with a double ended brush as well. It's super festive, girly and glittery packaging is indulgence at it's best and it's a steal aswell. At only £10 this is looks a lot pricier than it is and has a look to it that rivals it's higher end competitors.

 Sleek Say The Magic Word Mini Matte Me Lip Set £5
Lipstick fans keep your eyes out for this gift set from Sleek. They've released a mini matte me set which contains four of their stunning liquid lipstick shades. The set includes the shades Old Hollywood, Velvet Slipper, Birthday Suit and Rioja Red. This adorable miniature set comes in at only £5 which is the same price as one full sized Matte Me Lipstick. This is perfect for liquid lipstick lovers who are always looking for the best formula.

 Face Compact by Sam And Nic Chapman £8.99
For those who love a good coffee table book or are addicted to beauty bibles then Face from Sam and Nic Chapman will be right up their street. This is a more compact version of their recently released book Face which details make up, tools and beauty in general brilliantly. The full sized book retails at £20 but if you're looking for a budget friendly option then the compacy version is brilliant.

Starbucks Festive Mug with Chocolate Coin £8
For all the mug lovers out there, there is nothing nicer than recieving a festive Starbucks mug in your stocking or under your tree. With it's adorable candy cane handle and sparkling gold details this mug screams Festive whilst also being subtle and just shy of being over the top. And it's a significant amount cheaper than a festive mug picked up from an actual Starbucks store. Plus it comes with a giant gold coin which will be enjoyed by all ages, because who can't resist a gold coin at Christmas.

None of these catch your eye? Check out my other gift ideas here.

Review: Real Techinques Deep Cleansing Brush Gel

When I saw that Real Techniques were bringing out a brush cleaning gel I was intrigued and excited. Brush cleaning is something I hate doing so anything that made it quicker or easier would be fine with me. Well that's what I hoped this product would do. And unfortunately it just made washing my brushes twice as long. 

 These are what my brushes looked like before I washed them. I use these four everyday to do my make up so they're a lot grubbier than most of my other brushes. So off I went to the bathroom and filled my sink with water. I followed the instructions on the back, dampening the bristles on my brush and adding a dollop of gel to them and then began swirling it on my hand. It started off doing a good job of cleaning them and I was disgusted to see how much excess make up came off my brush. However once I risned away the initial suds it didn't soap up as much afterwards and I was just swirling a wet brush over my hands. 

I wasn't going to give up on it though, so I added a second dollop of gel to my brush and repeated the process all over again.  This time around it came off much cleaner and there was a slight residue that soaped up a second time after I rinsed my brush off. However I found that this was required for my other brushes as well so I gave up on the gel and went to get my trusted baby shampoo. It did a quicker job on the rest of the brushes and I didn't need to use as much. 

 And this is what my brushes looked like afterwards. My stippling brush at the top is the only brush that was cleaned only by the Cleansing Gel. As you can see there is still a lot of residue on the brush even after two lots of shampooing. However as you can see with my other brushes that were washed in baby shampoo, they have come up a lot cleaner and it didn't take as long to get rid of any build up within the brush itself. 

Overall I'm a more than a little disappointed with this product. It didn't do what I would consider a deep clean on my brushes, I would call it more of a spot clean and it got rid of the top layer of make up and that's it. If you're looking for a quick spot cleaner for your brushes then I would recommend trying this product but if you want a really deep clean then I suggest you look for another product or stick with what you're already using. 

Available at Superdrug and Boots